World’s Oldest Man Dies Aged 112 in Japan

Tokyo: The world’s oldest man has died two months short of his 113th birthday in Japan. Yasutaro Koide was born on 13 March 1903 and once professed his secret to a long life as to “live with joy” and not overdo it.

Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare said he died early on Tuesday at a hospital in Nagoya, where he had been treated for chronic heart problems.

Mr Koide was recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest man in August, when he was four years behind the oldest man ever, Jiroemon Kimura, who lived until he was 116 years old and 54 days.

Having worked as tailor for a men’s clothes shop in Tsuruga, Fukui, Mr Koide moved to Nagoya when he was 107 in order to be with his daughter.

He reportedly lived at home and regularly attended a day care centre until last year, and was able to walk around the house.

Mr Koide used his own teeth rather than dentures to eat and could read the newspaper without glasses, Guinness World Records said.

While celebrating his induction into the book, the told the Associated Press: “The best thing is to not overdo it.”

Mr Koide also recommended not smoking or drinking and said his favourite food was bread. He had seven children, nine grandchildren and at least one great-grandchild.

Aya Kikuchi, his granddaughter, told local newspaper Chunichi Shimbun her grandfather once tended to be very strict about manners, adding: “He was very stubborn, but he got nicer with age. His lifestyle is one that avoids stress.”

In Japan, 111-year-old Tokyo native Masamitsu Yoshida, born on 30 May 1904, succeeds Koide as the oldest man.

It was not immediately known whether Yoshida is also the world’s longest-living man.

Japan, with an ageing population like many developed nations, has more than 61,000 centenarians, according to the nation’s family registration records. Nearly 90 per cent are women.

The world’s oldest person is an American woman, 116-year-old Susannah Mushatt Jones of Brooklyn, New York.